EAST SANDWICH – Maureen Brenner summed up in one word her advice to the students graduating from the Riverview School today: Yet.

“Sometimes things seem too hard for us and we can't do it yet,” the head of school said as she walked across the stage in front of the young men and women graduating from the school's high school and postsecondary programs.

Brenner asked rhetorically if any of the 34 high school graduates or 52 graduates of the “Getting Ready for the Outside World” program had been able to walk or talk when they were born or whether they had the skills to travel independently, advocate for themselves or pass the high school equivalency exam before coming to Riverview.

No Riverview students should ever say they can never do something, only that they can't do it yet, she said.

Riverview is a private boarding school for children and young adults with complex language, learning and cognitive disabilities. Students come from across the United States as well as other countries.

Audreyclaire Hall of Blain, Pa., told the families beneath the large tent on the school's Route 6A property she learned fast that the stakes were high during her second year at Riverview.

When she passed her ServSafe sanitation exam, however, she knew she could do anything she set her mind to, Hall said.

During an internship at the Dan'l Webster Inn, Hall did tasks that were out of her comfort zone, but she approached them with a positive attitude, she said.

Her motivation for working hard at the school was her desire to pass her GED, Hall said.

“I needed this,” she said. “I kept a clear head and kept fighting. My heart was pounding as if I was running a race – and in a way, I was.”

Her speech was not just about her story: All the graduates had made their own journeys, and each had a story to tell, she said.

Hall said she wants to be an English teacher and a chef.

“If you can dream it then it can become your reality,” she said.

Her advice for the other graduates: “Cherish our friendships as we each move on. Our friends today will always be part of the person we are and the one we will become.”

As Brenner read the accomplishments and interests of each student who rose to receive a diploma, it was evident they had been busy during their time at Riverview.

Many had performed in plays at the school, played a musical instrument or worked in Cafe Riverview and at other jobs inside and outside of the school.

Marc McDonnell of Kingston is already the author of two published books, Brenner said as she summarized each student's achievements and interests during the presentation of the diplomas.

Other students are driving and planning to move into their own apartments, she said.

Some excelled at sports, others at academics, many at both.

There's a martial arts expert, a break dancer and some skiers, Brenner said.

Gideon Bresley, who graduated with his twin brother, Caleb Bresley, both of Ipswich, is a bagpipe player, she said. He also loves aviation and once wrote on the blackboard, “Thank you for flying Air Handsome,” Brenner said.

Alexandra Mangalo of Osterville is well-known for her makeup abilities and is looking for work in the beauty field, Brenner said.

After the students presented their diplomas to their parents, Mangalo's father, Michel, said his daughter's four years at Riverview have been great.

“It helps people with learning challenges,” he said about the school, adding that his daughter already drives and will be attending a beauty school.

For Riverview director of admissions Jeanne Pacheco, Sunday was her last graduation as a staff member.